Well screen



Mah G. AUSTIN V 1,705,848

' WELL SCREE N Filed April 30. 1928 Patented Mar 19, 1'929.

UNlT ED STA TES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE AUSIIN, OF KANSAS CITY,JVIISSOURI.

WELL SCREEN.

Application filed April 30, 1928 This invention relates to concretescreens for Water wells, and has for its object the provision of anefficient screen of large water capacity, which utilizes the fioW ofwater in the charging of the well to prevent the en trance of sand intothe Well; a further obj ect being to provide a wall upon each sectionful features of construction and co1nbina' tiens of partsas hereinafterdescribed and claimed; and in order that it may be iully understoodreference is to be had to the ac companying draWing, in which;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a Well screen embodying the invention.

Figure2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vievv, partly in side. clevation andpartly in central vertical section of the Well screen.

Figure 4: is a -fragmentary perspective vievv of one of the vvell screensections as vievved from above.

Figure 5 is a similar view of one of the sections as vievved frombelovv.

Figure 6 isa ragmentary side 6levation of a well screen section ofslightly modified' construction.

Figure 7 is a fragnientary perspective view of a section of-the modifiedtype, as viewed fro1n below.

Figure 8 is a vertical section throughtwo sections 7 containing A thewaterway grooves of the type shoWn in Figures 6 and 7.

In the saidfldrawing the Well screen is shovvn as composed of anysuitable number of concrete Sections of ringform, arranged insuperimposed relation.

Each section is provided at the upper and lower ends of its peripheryvvith outwardlyprojecting flanges 2 and 3 respectivcly, to serve astreads in rolling a section upon the ground withthe least chance of itsbeing chipped or suffering other inj ury when moved in the mannerindicated from one point to another.

In the outer side of the peripheral surface of each section, there areprovided at suitable distances apart, vertical grooves 4, extending fromthe bottom of the flange 2 to and latter in centering the sections,V1011ShOWGVGI that Where a plurality of cables the centering of thesections.

Serial N0.'274,019.

through the flange 3, these groove receiving water entering theWell-hole within which the screen is erected, and the bottoms of saidgrooves;,preferably slope clownvvardly and outvvardly as indicated at 5,for a purpose whicli hereinaftcr appears.

Each screen section is provided at its upper side with an upstandingcircular wall 6, and in its bottoin in the vertical plane of wall 6,with a circular groove 7. Each section is also provided inwar'd ofgroove 7 With a .series of depending lugs 8, adapted in the as:-

sembly to rest upon the Underlying section within the vvall 6 thereof,and hence provide a space between the sections, the space being unbrOkehexcept where interrupted by said lugs.

It is preferred to employ about eight of the luge mentioned, and everyalternate lug is provided with a vertical passage 9 which is continuedup ing through said passages are cables 10 or the like, the sectionsbeing successively strung upon the cables when the former are about tobe lovvered to position in the wellhole, .it being understood thatbelovv the undermost section the cables Will, as customary, be soarranged or equipped as to guard against them sliding up through andbecom- K disconnected from the undermost secing tion. r r r The wall 6occupying a circle outside that within'which the lugs lie, cooperateWith the it loeing cl)- through'the section. Extcndv v are employed,they can be depended upon for V Where the cables are not employed thecooperative centering section of the walland luge, is desir- It Will beunderstood that the well-hole suitable filtering material, not shown,such as gravel or the like, so as to minimize to the fullest extent, thepossibility of clay, fine sand or other material clogging the waterpassages 4 and the spaces betWeen juxtaposedsections.

The sections Will be sufcient in number to extend from below to a pointslightly above the Water bearing strata of the grOund, and the waterentering the Well-hole Will pass into the screen through the spacesbetween the sections. In this passage, any fine sand with which theWater is charged will be intercepted and the conseqnent exclusion by theWa11s 6 and lodge upon the sections exterior to said walls, Which itWill be noted by reference to Figure 3, project slightly into thegrooves 7 03'. the overlying sections and slightly above the plane ofthe lower faces et sch sections at their outer margins. The watertherefcre is free to flow over said walls into the grooves 7, and thenpass downward on the inner side of the Walls and into the screen betwcenthe lugs 8 thereof.

To increase the capacity of the well screen by providing for a moreunimpeded flow of water, the sections are provided with the verticalpassages 4. The water entering snch downward and by impingement on thedefleeting portions 5 of the hottoms of said grooves, is deflectedoutward1y and tends to dislodge sand which may have collected open thennderlying sections outward 01 the WaHs 6 thereot, Which action obvionsly guards against the ciogging by sand or the iike 01 the spacesbetween the sections of water i'rom passing inwardly betw en thesections. r

T0 malte provision ior accommodating the free entrance of water into andclown through the externat grooves oi the sections, it is desirablo under conditions where the Water supply is good, to gradnally increase thecross sectional area oif said externa1 grooves toward the bottom ordischarge and thereof without increasing the width oi:' the mouths ofsaid grooves as at 4' in Figures 6, 7 and 8. Et is considered that asimple way to accomplish this resu1t most efiectively is to have theside walls of the grooves diverge inwardly Off the section from theparallel edges of the mouths of the slots, and it may also be desirableto have the bottoms of the siots slope downward and inward and thuscooperate' with the diverging' side Walls, in providing grooves *.vhichgradnally increase in cross section from the top toward the bottom. Witha groove et the character described, itwill loe apparent that itscapacity is such as to accommodate a continual infiow of Water for thefull length of the groove Which would not be possible were the groovesof uniform size. fied form of groove is preferable it is believed wherethe supply of water is plentifuI, al-

The mOdi though it is fully as effective as a groove of nniformcrossscctiona1 capacity, vvhere the supply of water is not suificient t0require grooves oi:' increasingly Iarger capacity t0- ward their lowerends.

From the above description, itwill be apparent that I have produced aWell screen eiiibodying the featu1es of advantage set f0rth as dcsirahlein the statement of the objecte et the invention, and while 1 haveillustrated and described the preierred embodiments of the invention, itWill he,apparent that it is susceptible oi" modification in min0rparticuiais withont doparting from the spirit and scopc et the appendedclaims.

I daim:

1. A well screen comprising a series. of superimposed ring sectionsp1oViding interven1ng spaces, each section having a plurality oit'dopending lugs resting on the adjacent underiying section and an annularbottom groove intermediate said luge and the periph oral 1nargin of thesection, and each section having upstanding Wall occupying the :;;aanevertical piano as and projecting np into the groove et the overlyingsection and also ..zaving vertical grooves in the-peripheryextendinp;from the bottom oi:' the section to a piano below the top of suchsection, saiol groovcs having clownward1y and outward1y slopingdeflcctor Surfaces extending to the plane oi" the bottom of therespective sections.

2. A well screen comprising a series of superimposed ring sectionsprovidng intervening spaces, each section having a plura1ity ofdepending lugs resting on the adjacent underlying section and an annularbottom groove intermediate said lugs and the periphoral margin of thesectiOn,and eaeh section having an upstanding wa11 occupying the samevertical plane as and projecting up into the groove of: the overlyingsection and also having vertical grooves in the periphery extending fromthe bottom of the section to a plane below the top of such section; saidgrooves increasing in cross-sectional area toward their lower ends.

In testiinony vvhereof affix my signature.

GEORGE AUSTIN.

